Goodbye Arizona by Claude Dancourt Read Free Book Online Page A

your sweet little Deborah, I don’t disgrace myself by breaking into hotel rooms. Get out.”
    Her throaty drawl reached abnormal heights. Eden pulled the door open, and stopped dead in her tracks in front of the sheriff.

Chapter Six
     
    Deb crossed the terrace through hysterical shouts and manic giggles. The pleasant alley leading from the main building to the small villa that housed the spa was so packed, she felt like a salmon swimming upriver.
    “Propose free alcohol and you’ll end up with a stampede,” she grumbled under her breath. The crowd around her rushed and yelped, impermeable to anything that was not liquid. A pointy elbow bit into her breast as one of the banshees tried to push her out of her way.
    “Hey!”
    The hand attached to the arm flipped up as if to say sorry. Deb suspected the gesture would have been slightly less polite if her assailant hadn’t almost been run over by another thirsty maenad.
    Someone stomped on her foot. A blow in her back sent her headfirst into the bay window. She avoided the crash by a hair, banging against a clay pot instead. Deb clasped Marcus’s laptop to her chest like a shield with one hand, the other rubbing her bruised hip. “Jesus…”
    She started to regret not taking Marcus’s advice to wait for him inside. The barman had pumped up the volume of the music to add cadence to the ruckus, then grinned from ear to ear, delighted with the ear-splitting squeal that followed. Deb glowered at him and tried to figure out a new path toward safety.
    Two vicious tackles and countless blows later, she reached the end of the pool. Her hip hurt. The nauseating noise that she just heard sounded suspiciously like her blouse ripping at the shoulder.
    Out of breath, and very irritated, Deb didn’t realize the prick on her shoulder wasn’t just the strap of the satchel pinching her skin.
    ****
    “I do hope you’re not interfering with my job, Mr. Turner.”
    Marcus glared at the petite woman in the ill-fitted beige suit, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Pooley glanced around. She frowned when she saw Eden’s pricy bags. “I can’t authorize you to leave, Miss Guillot. My investigation isn’t over.”
    “But I’m innocent.”
    “So you say.”
    Pooley ignored Marcus’s snigger while Eden shot daggers at him with her glare. She must have figured sarcasm would lead her nowhere because she changed tactics. “Sheriff, I’m so scared… That poor Sybil … and Clare… I can’t stay here. I’m a bundle of nerves.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that. You can consult with the department psychologist, if you wish.” Eden’s triumphant smirk died out. “In any case, someone within your happy little group is a murderer. Until I find out who, I want you all at my disposal. In fact, I’d like to clarify a few things.”
    Pooley shot a glare toward Marcus, who crossed his arms over his chest to make it clear that it would take a crane to move him. The sheriff pinched her lips, then returned her attention to Eden.
    ****
    “Hey, is she okay?”
    “Yes. I have it. Too much heat and alcohol.”
    “Oh, okay…” A grin flashed, an invitation. “I’ll see you tonight, then?”
    “You can count on it. I wouldn’t miss that gala for anything…”
    ****
    “Where were you last night between ten p.m. and three a.m.?”
    Marcus jumped. Eden scowled. “Me? You’re accusing me?”
    “Not accusing—yet. I’m asking.”
    “This is ludicrous.”
    Pooley raised an eyebrow. Her non-verbal posture reminded Marcus of a hound on a trail.
    “I was working! I’ve been working like a mule for weeks to counter the disaster this imbecile is about to unleash.” She pointed a manicured fingernail to the hotel pamphlet on a table. “I called room service for a salad and a bottle of Perrier. Check with the clerk.”
    Pooley’s grin climbed one shade above sardonic. “I did. Do you care to explain why the said clerk mentioned seeing you in front of Miss Stone’s suite this morning after he